Referral Tracking Specialist

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position: Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization

Position Summary

The Referral Tracking Specialist is responsible for tracking Sea Mar provider referrals to specialist and imaging facilities, closing the loop on the referral with the patient, specialist and in the electronic health record. The Referral Tracking Specialist shall monitor measure and intervene in the referrals processed by the Medical Assistants to assure that the patients are getting the care that was requested and that there is proper documentation in the EHR.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered, culturally-aware services. Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an excellent client experience by:  Understanding and empathizing with client needs  Surpassing client expectations  Demonstrating a high level of integrity  Exhibiting compassion and commitment  Advocating for social justice  Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team  Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology As a Sea Mar employee, the individual in this position commits to adherence to these values to their utmost ability and endeavors to strengthen and embody this mission daily.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  Track referrals in a timely manner for designated sites, closing the referral loop in the EHR, with the patient and specialist’s office.  Troubleshoot why there are gaps in care and records have not been returned to primary care from specialty care.  Assist patients in scheduling or following-up on referrals as required and understanding the next steps in their care with an external specialist or imaging center.  Monitor and reports referrals on a daily basis and gives feedback to medical operations team members to improve efficiencies in coordination of care services.  Assist Medical Assistants with difficult, lengthy or unusual referrals  Understand the referral cycle from when it is ordered by the primary care provider to when the document is returned to the primary care and provider and the patient is notified of the referral  Maintain excellent working relationships with referral agencies, staff and providers  Work closely with the Health Information Management Department to ensure the loop is closed on all referrals and referrals are appropriately scanned into the system  Support Sea Mar initiative such as quality measures and service as requested  Other duties as assigned. Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. They must be competent in the use of business machines, such as facsimile, phone system, EHR, and Excel. They must have a working knowledge of the medical industry and managed care plans. This individual must be of good character and maintain strictest confidentiality in compliance with state and federal lay as well as Sea Mar policy.  Must be able to work independently  Must be able to effectively and efficiently organize their work processes.  Must be able to multitask, maintaining many inquiries at once.  Must be able to maintain a courteous and professional demeanor at all times.  Must possess excellent oral and written skills  Must be able to read, write and communicate in English proficiently  Must be able to interpret different types of patient medical records documents.  Must be a critical thinker and able to troubleshoot referrals and give feedback to staff, managers, and specialist’s office.  Proficiency in Microsoft Office products and ability to enter data in EHR and Excel and track data ongoing in Excel.  Bilingual Spanish/English preferred. Education, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE  High school or GED is required.  Medical office experience and experience processing referrals or in health information management preferred. CERTIFICATE, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS  This person must have an initial TB test at hire and an annual retest.  They must receive a satisfactory background check from the Washington State Patrol. Additional Requirements  Pre-hire and annual employee health screening required  Annual influenza vaccine required. Only exception is for employees with a medical or religious exemption approved by Administration. Employees with an approved medical or religious exemption must wear a mask at all time during the flu season. Work Environment The characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and intermittently required to ambulate within the clinic. The noise level in the environment is usually moderate. The employee may be required to share work space and or utilize multiple work spaces depending on job function and location. Physical Requirements The employee must occasionally lift and or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. Hourly - Hourly Plan, 20.76 USD Hourly

What We Offer

Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it’s a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of: Medical Dental Vision Prescription coverage Life Insurance Long Term Disability EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Paid-time-off starting at 24 days per year + 10 paid Holidays. We also offer 401(k)/Retirement options and an exciting opportunity to work in a culturally diverse environment. Sea Mar is an equal opportunity employer. Please visit our website to learn more about us at www.seamar.org. You may also apply thru our Career page at this link. Sea Mar Community Health Centers, founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons regardless of their ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 clinics.